History of Serbian Mediaeval Law

Srđan Šarkić, Ph.D. (1980) University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Law, was Professor of Legal History at that university until his retirement in 2016. He has published monographs and many articles on Byzantine and Serbian mediaeval law.

• PrefaceAbbreviationsPart 1 Background and Sources1 Historical Background2 Sources1 Legal Sources2 Other Sources3 The Concept of Law1 Roman and Byzantine Concept2 Serbian ConceptPart 2 The Law of PersonsClassification of Persons4 Noblemen (Vlastela, Властели)1 Name2 Social Status3 Division5 Commoners (Sebri, Себри)1 Name and Division2 Villagers (meropsi, меропси)3 Dependent Shepherds—Vlachs (Власи, Βλάχοι)4 Slaves5 Dependent Craftsmen and So-called Sokalnici (сокалници)6 Parish Priests (seoski popovi, попови)6 Townsmen (Građani, Грагꙗни, Граждани)1 Name and Division2 Towns in the Interior of Serbia3 Maritime Towns4 Towns Conquered from Byzantium7 Foreigners (Stranci, Странци)1 Ragusan Merchants2 German Miners (sasi, саси)3 Other ForeignersPart 3 Constitutional Law8 Constitutional Ideology1 Dušan’s Law Code—Constitution or Not?2 The Idea of Rome and Hierarchical World Order3 Duties of the Emperor4 Concordance or “Symphonia” between the Church and State5 Concept of the State9 Organization of Power1 Monarch2 Court Dignitaries3 Councils (državni sabori, съборь, зборь)4 Local Administration10 Serbian Orthodox Church1 Foundation2 Organization3 Legal Acts4 Proclamation for a Patriarchate5 Conflict and Reconciliation with Constantinople6 Legal PositionPart 4 Civil Law11 Natural Persons (Individuals) and Legal Persons (Entities)1 Natural Persons (Individuals)2 Legal Persons (Entities)12 The Law of Property1 The Concept of a “Thing”2 Division of Things3 Ownership4 Acquisition of Ownership5 Rights over the Property of Another (Iura in re aliena)13 The Law of Obligations1 The Concept of Obligation2 Contracts14 The Law of Wills and Succession1 Testate and Intestate Succession2 Intestate Succession (ἡ κληρονομία ἐξ ἀδιαθέτου)3 Testate Succession15 Family Law1 Marriage (γάμος, nuptiae, matrimonium, бракь)2 Matrimonial Property3 Dissolution of Marriage4 Extended Family (So-called Zadruga, Задруга)Part 5 Criminal Law16 Crime1 Byzantine Concept of Crime2 Serbian Concept of Crime and the Oldest Expressions3 Crime as Madness or Insanity17 Culprit1 Individual and Collective Criminal Liability2 The Concept of Guilt3 Mens Rea4 Mental Capacity or Competence5 Accomplices18 Punishment1 Capital Punishment2 Corporal Punishments3 Pecuniary Punishments or Fines4 Confiscation and Exile5 Imprisonment6 Spiritual Sentences7 Loss of Honour and Disqualification from Holding an Office8 The Right of Asylum (Greek ἄσυλον, ἀσυλία, Latin asylum or refugium = shelter, refuge)9 Acts of Grace19 Crimes against the State and Sovereign1 Treason2 Disobedience to the Sovereign’s Orders3 Forgery of Charters4 Other Crimes against the State and Sovereign20 Crimes against the Judicial System1 So-called “Samosud”2 Contumacy3 Refusal of Judge’s Envoy or Clerk (So-called ѡтбои)21 Crimes against Public Peace and Order1 Violation of Immunity Rights (посилиѥ, насилиѥ, ꙃабава)2 Noblemen’s Violent Measures against Commoners3 Villagers’ Reprisal4 Commoner’s Council5 A Fugitive Serf22 Crimes against the Church and Religion1 Renunciation of Orthodoxy2 Heresy3 Conversion to Catholicism and Catholic Propaganda4 Pagan Relicts23 Crimes against the Person1 Homicide (φόνος, оубїиство)2 Mayhem3 Battery4 Rape (βιασμός, raptus, нꙋжда)5 Injury (ἀδικία)24 Crimes against Morality1 Abduction (ἄρπαξ, хыщьниЕБе)2 Fornication (πορνεία, блоудь)3 Adultery (μοιχεία, прѣлюбодѣиство)4 Bigamy5 Abominable and Detestable Crimes against Nature6 Incest25 Crimes against Property1 Larceny (κλέμμα, κλοπή, furtum, татьба, крагꙗ)2 Sacrilege (sacrilegium, ἰεροσυλία, свештен’нотат’ство)3 Robbery (ἀρπαγή, latrocinium, гоуса)4 Rapine (rapina)5 Arson (ἐμπρησμός, палежь, запалѥнїе)6 Brawl (So-called “Potka”, Пот’ка)7 Straying (Popaša, Попаша)Part 6 Court System and Trial Procedure26 Court System and Jurisdiction1 Feudal Courts2 Ecclesiastical Courts (“Court Christian”, Curia Christianitatis)3 City Courts4 So-called “Stanak” (Stanicum)5 Sovereign’s (King’s, Tsar’s) Court6 Organization of Justice27 Trial Procedure1 Main Characteristics2 Stages of a Trial3 Types of Evidence4 Jury (porota, порота)5 The Judgment Pronounced by the Court or Judge and Its Execution6 Trial Procedure in Semiautonomous TownsReferencesIndex